Garment-holding device for traveling luggage



I D. WITBECK. I

GARMENT HOLDING DEVICE FOR TRAVELING LUGGAGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. 1921'.

Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

INS/ENTOR Deafora Vl z'ibeck ATTORNEYS I Patented Dec. l2, i922.

means IDESFORD WITIBECK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

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Application filed ai 2, i921. serial 1%.. assess.

To all whom .z'tmag concern:

Be it known that I, Dnsroen WVrrnnoK, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a cer tain new and useful Improvement in Gar mentd loldmg Devicesior Traveling Luge gage,oi:' which the followlng 1s a full, clear, 1

and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it apper provide a device that makes it possible to carry a suit. oi clothes or a dress in atraveling bag or other container without llabllity of wrinkling or creasing the garment to such. an extent that it requires pressing after removal from the bag. H

Another object is to provide an inexpensive device of the. character referred to that is compact, light in weight and of such design that it can be easily applied to or removed from the garmentwith whichit is used.

And still another object is to provide a device that performs the dual function of a garment hanger and follower or clamping device for a suit or dress that is packed in a container; a

To this end I have devised a garment holding device, which, briefly described, consists of an expansible member of such form that when it is superimposed upon a folded garment or a foldedgarment is wrapped around the same and the garment and said member are then introduced into a traveling bag or other -container the resiliency of said member causes the garment tobe clamped against the inner side of the container, thereby preventing the garment from creasing or wrinkling. The device preferably comprises a body portion of approximatelyflthe lengthand breadth of a suit coat, a shoulder portion at one end of said body portion that is adapted to be in troduced through the neck opening ofthe garment and arranged in engagement with the shoulder portions of the garment, and means for clamping the garmentto the bodyjportion of the device. 1

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective View, showing how my device is used for holding asuit in a conventionaltravelj ingbag. k v

Figure 2is a perspective view, showing how the suit is arrangedonthedevice before the device is flexed and introduced into the bag; and y i Figure 8 is a rear elevational View of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A

designates the body portion of my improved garment holdlng dev ce which preferably consists of an, err'pansible member formed from a sheet of flexible fibre or other, suitable sheetmaterial that is bent into sub stantially U shape, as shownbin Figure 1.-

The body portion r-i isof such length and breadth that it will substantially cover the front side of the garment with-which the device is used and at one end ofsaid body portionis a shoulder portion B. the body portion A is made of approximately the length and breadth of a inans.

coat. The shoulderportion B of the device may be of various forms, so long as it nor such design that it'will serve as :a support for the shoulder portions of in general outline to a garment hanger or coat hanger. The shoulder portlon B can e ther be integrally connected to the. body portionih, or it can be formed by a separate Generally,

t e garment. Usually, theshoulder portlon B is similar shoulder portions of the garment duringthe operation of superimposing the bodyportion A upo'n the front side of a folded garment. lt desired, the neck portion 0 of the device can be provided with a reinforcement 1.

Whenthe device is designed for use with mens garments it: is preferable to provide the body portion A with a transversely-disposed loop or strap 2 arranged on one side of same preferably theoutside, as shown in Figure 8, so to enable a pair of trousers to be slipped throughthe device 2 and fold ed, over, ,as shown in Figure 2. Meansis also provided for clamping the lower portion of the garment to the body portionA of the device, and while various means may be used for this purpose,I prefer to equip the device with an adjustable clamping device E which may consist of a strap that passes through loops 3 on the front side of the body portion A and extends transversely across the rear side of said body portion, so as to embrace the "lower end portion of the coat,and thus. secure the coat to the'device, as shown in Figure 2. When the device is designed for use with womens garments, such, for example, as a dress, it is preferable to arrange a transversely-disposed strap, loop or holding device like the device 2 adjacent the lower end of the body portion A so as to permit the dress to be passed under said holding device and then doubled over, a, means similar tothe strap E being arranged adjacent the upper end of the body fportion A, so as to hold or securethe doubled over portion of the skirt of the dress.

s When the device is notarranged *in ope'rative position in a garment container, it'is substantially straight, as shown in ,Figure 3, it havingsutficient resiliency to cause it'to springinto this'shape as soon as is removed from the container. If it is to be used for packing a mans suit ina traveling bag, the trousers of the vsuit are first folded and draped over the trouser Cir holding device 2 on the rear side of the body portion A, thecoat of the suit is then laid out fiat with the sleeves'of the coat folded inwardly over the front sideof the coat, and thereafter the body portion A of the device is arranged flatwise upon the front side of the coatand the shouder p012 tion B is inserted through the neck opening and" arranged in engagement with the shoulder portions of] the coat, the strap E being passed around the coat so as to secure it to the body portion A of the device. The body portion A with the coat thereon is then doubled or flexed transversely so as to spring the device into substantially U-shape. Thereafter, its is introduced into the traveling bag, as shown in Figure 1, the coat extending around the inner side of the bag and bearing against the bottom and the two sidewalls ofthe bag, and the. inherent resiliency of the body portion A of the device causing "he coat to be stretched taut and clamped so securely against the bag that it will not crease or wrinkle. I have found that with device of the construction above described agarment, either a suit or dress, can be carried as satisfactorily in a traveling bag or other similar luggage as in a wardrobe trunk, owing to 'thefact that the U-shaped,

'expansible body portion A of the. device clamps'the garment so snugly against the inner side of the luggage that'the garment will not creaseor wrinkle to such an extent that it is necessary to press it after removal from the luggage.

bag, there is ample space in the bag for hohl-ing other articles of wearing apparel. Accordingly, my device not only makes it possible to carry a garment in the conventional. traveling bag without liability of wrinkling, but it also provides more packing space inside of the bag than is possible when the garment is rolled up or folded severaltimes and placed on the bottom of device p'erforms'the'dua'l function of a garment hanger that can be suspended from a hook in a closet and an expansible garni'ent holding device that will'hold a suit or dress in atraveling bag or similar luggage without liability ofwrinkling or creasing. The device is light in weight,'it is compact and takes up practically no room and it can be manufactured "and soldat a sufliciently low cost to be within the reach of every traveller. Moreover, it is of such design that it can be applied to or removed easily from a garment.

As the garment virtually lines the interior of the While I have described my device as being used for preventing a garment from wrinkling while it is packed in a traveling bag, I wish it to beunderstood that the device can bei'used to prevent creasing or wrinkling of a garment packed in any kind of a container. For example, it can beiused by tailors and clothiers for delivering garments to customers, as it functions in the same way, irrespective ofthe type of'the container, so long as thecontainer isrof such form that itis capableof receivinganexpansible member vice is used for'the purpose last mentioned it is preferable to form it from some relatively inexpensivetsheet material that has sufficient flexibility to prevent it from breaking or cracking when it is folded or flexed transversely into U-form. v

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is: I

1. A levice for maintainingclothes unwrinkled while packed in a hand bag or other container, consisting of a sheet of flexible resilient material, and means to se; cure the clothes thereon, whereby, when the device is bent into U-shape and inserted in the container, it holds the clothes tightly v of substantially 'U-shape in cross section, Of course, when the depressed against the walls of the container.

2. A device for maintaining a garment in smooth condition while packed in a hand bag or other container, consisting of a 5 sheet of stiff or flexible, resilient material,

provided at one end with a part adapted to fit in the shoulder portion of the garment, and means to secure the garment thereto,

whereby, when the sheetis flexed and in- 10 serted in the container, the garment will be pressed against the walls of the container.

3. A device for maintaining a coat or like garment in, a pressed condition when carried in a piece of hand luggage consisting of a sheet offiexible, resilient material adapted to be superposed upon the garment, bent into substantially U-shape, and then inserted, with the garment, into the carrier, whereby the garmentis maintained smoothly pressed against the walls of said carrier.

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